The chairwoman of the city’s Federation of Small Businesses has given her views on houses let via Airbnb and other unregulated rentable properties.

Angela MacAusland said: “They’re taking business away from independent guesthouses and not paying business rates because a lot of them are Airbnb, which is unfair.

“There’s a bigger picture in play here.

“When you talk about business rates there’s HMOs (houses of multiple occupancy). They’re not liable for business rates at all, and the party houses are essentially HMOs that are rented out at weekends rather than long-term lets.